Evaluation of acupuncture as an alternative therapy in a rodent model of spontaneous osteoarthritis
Date
2020
Authors
Personett, Alexa R., author
Santangelo, Kelly, advisor
Kendall, Lon, committee member
Hamilton, Karyn, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease affecting nearly 250 million people globally. With clinical signs of severe and persistent joint pain, OA is a leading cause of physical disability throughout the world. When faced with the frustration of chronic discomfort and restricted mobility due to OA, many individuals have turned to acupuncture as an alternative therapy. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese practice of medicine for pain alleviation that involves insertion of thin needles into the skin and underlying tissue. The needles may be manipulated via manual or electrical stimulation, referred to as manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture, respectively. However, the efficacy of acupuncture in managing OA pain is uncertain, as much of the evidence is of questionable quality. The overall goal of this project was to evaluate acupuncture in a rodent model of human OA such that unbiased conclusions regarding its effectiveness for symptom modification could be drawn. Unfortunately, the majority of laboratory models of OA are artificially induced via chemicals or surgery and may not adequately represent the spontaneous disease process that occurs in humans. In contrast, the Dunkin Hartley guinea pig is a natural disease model, with primary OA pathology that mirrors human disease. As the major symptoms of OA are painful and decreased mobility, we were interested in evaluating the effect of acupuncture on a variety of mobility parameters using treadmill-based gait analysis and open-field enclosure monitoring. Additionally, as OA is an inflammatory disorder, we were interested in evaluating the effect of acupuncture on systemic inflammation, as well as any potential effects on normal physiology. This is commonly done in veterinary species with minimally invasive blood tests, such as complete blood counts and serum biochemistries. Despite their widespread use in biomedical research, there are few published studies investigating normal reference ranges for these diagnostics in the Dunkin Hartley guinea pig. Therefore, the goal of the first study was to develop hematology and serum biochemistry reference intervals for this strain. Data from complete blood counts and serum biochemistries were compiled from control Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs from previous studies to establish reference ranges for this model. Data were stratified by sex to determine specific reference intervals for males and females, and significant differences in parameters were investigated based on age and sex. The results of this study provide a foundation for interpreting these common diagnostic and laboratory blood tests in the Dunkin Hartley strain. The second and third studies evaluated electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture for the treatment of OA utilizing the Dunkin Hartley guinea pig model. Results of these studies demonstrated that electroacupuncture improved mobility, but not structural changes, in the knee joint. Conversely, manual acupuncture did not improve mobility parameters, but trended toward a decrease in knee joint histology scores compared to control groups. The results of these studies provide evidence that short-term treatment with electroacupuncture, but not manual acupuncture, is effective for symptom modification in this animal model of OA. Long-term studies are still needed to determine mechanisms for disease modification with these modalities.